Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-07-11
MINERAL LANDS.
Further Proceedings in the Contest Be-
fore the United states District Court.
S,.a..=.is..- clalAel- Tho taE

Further proceedings IN the contest be- |
fore the United states District Court.
Saturday morning at 10 o'clock the TAX |
ing of testimony in the case Of the Govern
ment VS.. Towle Bros. ct al. was resumed
in the United States District Court. J..ldge
Hoffman, San Francisco before a.. Exam
liner.
Robert WEIGH, who testified on Friday,
took the stand to correct an error he had
made in certain date upon minor point.
lie also, IN response to question by Gen
erel Carey, said that all of section was
heavily covered with timber in 1868, yellow
pine, sugar plne, spruce, some oak and fir.
1t is distant from the line of railway some
seven or eight miles. Most of the timber
has since been culled out, that suitable Tor
lumber, presumably by employees of the
firm OF Towle Bros.
This question was objected to by Senator
Sargent on the grounds of irrelevancy and
immateriality.
| On cross examination witness said that
there was Just as good timber on section
now as was ever taken OIL in fact on some
| portions 1t had not been touched.
| l.. ID. Wells, the next Witness said he is
a resident of Nevada City, and by occupa-
! ton miner. He was somewhat acQuaint-
! ed with Lowell Hill. Lived there i'll 1856.
knew the boundaries of section T. Mined
at the junction of the forks of Steep Hol-
low creek in 1857. Located q mine there
in the summer OF that year. Witness then
IN response to lnterrogations explained the
early mining laws of that section extent
and value OF locations, and the difference
| between creek, bar and drift mining. He
| mined some three miles east Of section
until 1868. Gold was found along the creeks
| in the Remington Hill Mining District.
| AT this point it was stipulated by counsel
on both sides that all testimony as TO min
| eral found outside of section Z, or mining
work done elsewhere is objected to by re-
| spondent as irrelevant, incompetent and
immaterial.
Witness continuing said that in 1856
miners were located all along Steep Hol-
/ low creek. The creek was not rich enough
to suit all. Some made wages and others
made nothing. He knew of no other
mining in section Z, except in that portion
of the creek which passed through it.
Most of the time he lived in that section
his home was at Bald Eagle Springs and
| Cedar Ravine, some three or four miles
distant.
| General Carey asked many questions re-
garding mines in adjoining sections.
! Senator Sargent objected, claiming that
they were vague, misleading, confounding
mineral lands outside of section 7, which
are known to be mineral lands, with lands
! in section Z.
| Witness gave Typographical description
| of the section, which partly lies on ridge
separating Bear river and Steep Hollow
creek. Some places it is very steep. He
regarded il as worthless for agriculture
except IN small portions where it could be
| irrigated. A considerable portion of the
| best timber has been cut off. Where the
| original growth of timber has been re-
moved dense forest of underground has
sprung up, so that you have no view of the
| country as you could prior to the timber
| cutting.
On cross-examination, witness said he
| knew but little about the boundaries of
section 7. He had not been on its east
line for ten years. He was considerably
confused by the pointed questions of SEN
ator Sargent touching his knowledge of
that section, and said don't feel at
all clear about the section lines OF this sec
tion."
Witness then took from his pocket
map and, after consulting it for moment,
| testified with much more assurance and
particularly. After witness had folded up
| his map Senator Sargent asked TO see it.
II was a rough sketch in pencil of a town.
ship several miles to the north of the one
in question, and Just how such a map
served to throw light upon the clouded
memory of the witness is profound mys-
| terry. He said no work had been done on
Mammoth Hin for nineteen years, and he
was of the opinion that il was abandoned.
Steep Hollow creek and its forks were
worke ed out by white men many years ago.
They were spotted diggings, and he who
| found gold there was lucky. The creeks
| have since been revoked by Chinese.
The next witness called for the prosecu-
| ton was Joshua Norris. who has lived at
Lowell Hill since 1859. He was familiar
with the section lines of section !. He
prospected on section near the mouth of
| the South Fork of Steep Hollow creek.
Mining on this creek was prosecuted up to
1871 or 1872. In speaking of the location
of the Golden Bull, he was a little mixed
as to dates, but was pretty sure that it was
some time before the war broke OUT
General Carey Immediately supplied the
date as being in the neighborhood of 1861
or g.
Witness did not know of any mining
operations on other than the early creek
mining There wA gravel on the section,
and wherever you find gravel you can
get the color" He knew nothing of the
extent of these gravel deposits.
At y NJ. the further taking of testimony
was postponed to Monday at 10 A. NJ